Pakistan, West Indies aim to qualify directly for 2019 World Cup

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: In their bid to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan and West Indies will aim to consolidate their positions on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings when they will feature in a three-match ODI series starting in Guyana on Friday (April 7).

West Indies are presently sitting at 9th position with 84 points, 5 points behind 8h-ranked Pakistan whereas Bangladesh is 7th with 92 points, said an ICC press release issued on Wednesday.

West Indies leads Pakistan 15-13 on a head-to-head at home and has a chance to move ahead of the visiting side.

But to make it happen, West Indies will have to win all three matches. If it is able to achieve this, then it will join the green shirts on 87 points and will be ranked 8th as it will be ahead by a fraction of a point.

In contrast, if Pakistan which has won 11 of 19 matches against the West Indies in the West Indies this decade, wins all the three matches, then it will join Bangladesh on 92 points and will be ranked ahead of its Asian rival by a fraction of a point.

The series is set up for a fascinating contest as crucial ranking points are up for grabs that can go a long way in helping them to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup.

The Host England and the seven other top ODI teams on September 30, 2017 will qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup with the remaining four teams getting a second chance through a 10-team World Cup Qualifying tournament in 2018.